I'll stop goalie gags, vows Gordon

Scotland's Craig Gordon, now Britain's most expensive goalkeeper, has vowed to end any lingering jokes about his fellow countrymen's ability between the posts.

Gordon's staggering £9million move to Sunderland from Hearts on Wednesday smashed the transfer record paid for a British keeper.

Richard Wright went from Ipswich to Arsenal for £6m and Chris Kirkland joined Liverpool for the same fee, both six years ago.

But Gordon, who has signed a five-year contract, has the added pressure of dealing with the fallibility his predecessors have been renowned for in England, from Alan Rough through to Jim Leighton.

"Everyone says the same thing about Scottish goalkeepers," he said. "It has been about for ages but hopefully I can change that. That is my aim. It's a big move coming from Scotland. It could be the start of something special and I am sure we will kick on from here.

"I am looking forward to it and we can have a good season. The squad is strong."

The lure of the Premier League was too great for the 24-year-old to resist.

"It is a massive league - it's on the television more than Scottish football. You get to know a lot of the players and it will be nice to test myself against them."

And Gordon insists the fact Sunderland paid £9m for him will not weigh on his mind.

"The fee doesn't worry me," he said. "They are going up all the time and just because it is a keeper people make a lot of it. If I was a striker it wouldn't make any difference and it won't be long before there will be signings which are bigger than this."

Gordon says he is glad to have finally moved to the Stadium of Light, citing Keane as a big reason behind his move.

"It took a long time and there was a period when I was worried that it wouldn't happen, but credit to Sunderland and the people behind the scenes who finally made it happen," he said. "As soon as I saw everything the club had and spoke to the manager I thought this would be a good club. Roy told me about the future, what he wants to achieve year after year.

"That is what is in his make-up as a person. He doesn't settle for second best and that is a great trait to have in your personality.

"He demands success and I think he will get it as well. It is difficult to set goals but you have to try and improve and keep on improving."

Keane also completed the signing of Roy O'Donovan yesterday from Cork City, the eighth player to move to the Stadium of Light this summer.

"This is a big challenge for me and when the chance came about, I didn't think twice," said O'Donovan. "I had a choice between Fulham and Sunderland but when I spoke to the Roy Keane my mind was made up."

The Sunderland manager said of his latest signing: "He's done very well in the League of Ireland but is ready for a new challenge. He knows where the back of the net is, he's aggressive and could do very well for us."